


What's Got Me Worried

by Badgerclaws



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, cause that block of names was getting silly, ok only tagging the characters whose worry ive done, pretty much everyone will show up at some point, will add character tags as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-04-21 14:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 17,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4832597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badgerclaws/pseuds/Badgerclaws
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From cute girls to growing taller, from personal appearances to life and death. Sometimes it's massive. Sometimes it's mundane. But everyone's worried about something.</p><p>A collections of shorts based on the Haikyuu!! characters' current concerns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scary-looking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka: He tried calling out to a lost-looking first-year girl to tell her the way to her classroom, but she started to cry.

He hadn’t noticed her at first. He had been walking with Noya to his class after practice, and the libero had been talking animatedly about the awesome receive he had pulled off that morning. 

“And then I was all like bam! And whoosh! And then the ball was back up in the air, and—hey, did you see that girl?”

Tanaka turned around and found who his friend was talking about. There was a young girl huddled in a shivering ball of fright against the wall. She was tiny, with a mop of hair covering her face, and quivering uncontrollably as she stared at the books in her hands. Occasionally a sniffle broke loose from behind her tightened lips. Cute, sure, but very obviously a nervous wreck.

He slowed to a stop, bending down to whisper into Noya’s ear and still keeping an eye on the girl. “Do you think she’s alright?” he asked, concerned. 

“I dunno, she looks kind of lost. Maybe she’s a first year?”

“Yeah, probably. Hey, maybe we should help her”

Noya looked at him, a little sceptically. “Are you sure bro? I mean, you’re not exactly smooth with girls, and this one’s a grade-A cutie”

Tanaka scowled, but there was humour behind it. “Oh yeah, like you’re a real lady killer yourself” he responded, taking Noya into a headlock and ruffling his hair.

“Hey!” the smaller one protested, squirming his way out of Tanaka’s grip.

“Besides,” he continued, ignoring as Noya huffed his chest and ran his fingers through his hair, complaining about how it taken almost half an hour to style that morning. “I don’t want to get all buddy-buddy with her, just give her some directions. If she is a first year, then that makes me her senpai. And a good senpai always helps his underclassmen!”

Noya rolled his eyes and gave his hair one final pat. “Alright, but don’t get all mopey if this goes wrong”

Tanaka just flashed him a thumbs up and sauntered towards the girl, who was still shaking like crazy. “Oi, first year,” he called out as he neared her. “Do you need help wi—”

The girl looked up and paled considerably. Her lip quivered, her eyes widened, and soon enough tears sprung up. She had even begun backing up against the wall. Classic signs of fear. Tanaka winced noticeably. “Hey, don’t get freaked out, I just wanna hel—”

“I’m fine I’m OK please don’t hurt me!” she squealed, her voice cracking, and she ran off towards the other end of the hall. Papers flew from her hands, flapping wildly, but she was too distressed to notice. Conversations stopped, and the other people in the hallway watched her leave. They directed their accusatory glances towards Tanaka, then turned back to each other and whispered behind cupped hands, occasionally looking concerned towards the receding figure in the distance.

Tanaka just stood there, so wounded by her reaction that he barely heard Noya’s roaring laughter from behind him. He retreated sullenly to where the libero was still cackling.

“Bro, I knew that would happen!” Noya said, wiping an imaginary tear away. “I just didn’t think it would happen so bad!”

“Yeah yeah, I get it, I’m too scary-looking for cute girls” Tanaka replied, bitter. Noya stopped laughing and studied his face for a bit, before slapping one arm across his back.

“Ryuu, it doesn’t matter what some freshman girl thinks of you. You’re one of the coolest guys in this school. And I’m honoured to be able to call you my friend”

Tanaka’s entire face turned red, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, whatever. Shut up” he mumbled, lightly kicking Noya behind the knee as he continued to class. He pulled his collar up and shoved his face into it, hoping to hide his grateful smile. After all, he had a tough-guy reputation to maintain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaAAAHHHHhhh my first fanfiction in a long time! Like, a really long time. Like, the last time I wrote something was nearly 5 years ago.
> 
> I had been meaning to start writing again, but I couldn't find any inspiration. Then I became Haikyuu!! trash, and I thought it was really cute how the character profiles included their current concerns. I didn't want to commit to any large and grandiose story, but I thought I could manage a few shorts here and there. And that's how this came to be.
> 
> I apologize in advance for any terribleness. Like I mentioned, I haven't done fanfiction in a looong time, but I'm hoping to improve as this goes along!


	2. Autumn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma: Summer is too hot, winter is too cold.

Kenma walked along the road with his PSP in hand, focused on the boss battle before him. His fingers wandered lazily over the buttons, but his eyes were sharp, noticing the monster’s every movement. The game would blip and beep but Kenma was completely silent, save for the occasional sharp intake of breath. Kuroo was loping along beside, humming quietly to himself. When Kenma was in this kind of mood, Kuroo knew better than to talk to him. All he would get is monosyllabic responses and annoyed huffs. Instead, Kuroo turned his gaze upwards to the grey sky, watching the clouds move slowly across it. A slight breeze wafted between them, and Kuroo heard a small, content sigh beside him. He looked down curiously at the Nekoma setter, who felt his gaze and blushed ever so slightly.

“Mm? What’s got you so happy?” the older teen asked, smiling. It was rare to see his friend emote like that.

“Nothing” mumbled Kenma. “It’s just…”

“Go on” prodded Kuroo, more intrigued than ever.

“..’s just that I really like this weather”

“Ah”

It made sense. Kenma always seemed too fidgety in the summer heat, and too frigid in the winter. Fall was a perfect balance between the two, and was especially nice because everything was so quiet and calm. 

Quiet and calm. Two things that Kenma appreciated more than anything. Perhaps their team didn’t have Karasuno’s overly-excitable Hinata or energetic Tanaka, but they still had their fair share of loud players. And while Kenma would never let that get in the way of a game, Kuroo knew that sometimes it could be too much for the poor setter, and he just needed a break.

Which is why Kuroo was perfectly happy walking along Kenma in silence. Now that the team was so close to each other, it was rare that the two childhood friends got a moment alone together. The silence was comfortable. But knowing that they were getting closer and closer to the school, Kuroo could guess that it would not last long.

“Kenma-senpai! Kuroo-senpai!” came a loud, booming voice from up ahead, right on cue. Lev was racing towards them, long arms waving wildly. He skidded to a stop in front of them, panting from the sprint and from excitement. 

“Slow down, Lev, or you’ll cause an accident. What’s got you so riled up?” asked Kuroo, trying to hide a smile. He couldn’t help it. It was so hard to be angry when the lanky first year was so obviously happy about something.

“Didja guys see the forecast? It’s supposed to snow tomorrow! Winter’s here!”

As though to emphasis the point, the wind picked up again, causing Lev (who was only dressed in his practice clothes) to shiver.

Kuroo raised his eyerbrows and looked down at Kenma. The latter had turned away and was now furrowing his brow in annoyance. Kuroo smirked in amusement and gave him a good-natured pat on the shoulder before turning back to the excited first-year and telling him off for not wearing a jacket. 

Yeah, between his boisterous teammates and the fickle weather, comfortable things didn’t tend to last long for Kenma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a soft spot for Nekoma, so they're getting the second chapter slot.


	3. Muscles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watari: He'd like to build up more muscles.
> 
> Kindaichi: Girls in his class said that...

“Um, Kindaichi-kun kinda seems more "lanky" than "tall", right?"

Kindaichi’s ears perked up at the sound of his name. He had been sitting at his desk with his head in his arms, tired after that morning’s vigorous practice, when he heard some girls over in the corner talking about him.

Lanky. Not tall. Lanky.

Kindaichi had never been particularly self-conscious about his body. After all, being tall was an asset in volleyball, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit his height was one of the main reasons he was a starting player. The way he saw it, as long as he had the skills to help support his team, who cares how tall he was?

But now, sitting at his desk, staring at his thin arms, he started to worry. There were muscles there, no doubt about it, but his arms were still slender and lean, and maybe seemed a bit too long for his body. For the first time, Kindaichi felt like a teenager whose body was all out of proportion.

He grunted and pushed those thoughts out of his head. If he didn’t liked the way he looked, he was going to fix it. Plain and simple.

 

* * *

 

That afternoon, Kindaichi kept repeating that phrase to himself like a mantra. _Plain and simple. I don’t want to look so lanky? I’ll just have to build muscle_. Afternoon practice went by in a blur, Kindaichi mostly just going through the motions. He began to mentally compare himself to his teammates, noting that even though he was the tallest of them, he also looked the most, well, fragile. Of course, it was unfair to pit himself against the likes of Iwaizumi and Kyuotani, but even players like Yahaba and Kunimi seemed more compact than him. Heck, even Oikawa was better built than him, and he was the resident pretty boy. Taking note of the bodies around him, Kindaichi made a decision and changed back into his practice uniform.

“Eh? Is my precious kouhai going back to practice his spikes more?” came the sickeningly sweet voice of the aforementioned pretty boy. Oikawa was pouting. “You know, Kindaichi-kun, if you overwork yourself you might get injured. And where would our team be then?”

“Advice coming from you of all people” grumbled Iwaizumi in the corner, raising his eyebrows to indicate the captain’s knee brace.

“Ah, but now I know my limits, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa smiled. “Kindaichi-kun, on the other hand, is still a young and naïve first year. I’m afraid for his health”

“Uh, I wasn’t going to do anything too strenuous” Kindaichi piped up, feeling a little odd interrupting his two upperclassmen. “Just work out in the weight room for a bit”

“Oh! Are you trying to build muscles? Sorry to let you down, Kindaichi-kun, but the position of Seijou’s buffest player has already been taken by Iwa-chan. I’m sure he could give you some pointers, though!”

“Shittykawa, don’t be stupid!” growled Iwaizumi, grabbing the captain by the collar and shaking him. Oikawa only laughed, causing the ace to get even angrier. Kindaichi, meanwhile, slipped out silently through the doors. He respected his senpai greatly, but sometimes they could be too much for him. He made his way down the halls and into the unlocked weight room, surprised to find someone else in there at this time of day. He followed the sounds of metal on metal and came upon none other than Sejou’s libero, Watari, using a bench press. The smaller noticed him and put down the weights, turning sheepishly to Kindaichi.

“Ah, what are you doing here?” Watari asked with an embarrassed smile.

“I was, uh, planning to work out for a bit…why are you here?”

“The same reason. I’ve been coming here for a while now after practice to build more muscle”

“But you’re not frail at all!” Kindaichi protested. And it was true. Just today, he had been admiring the libero’s well-defined biceps.

Watari looked at him a little oddly. “Yeah, but being the smallest one of the team isn’t an awful lot of fun”

“Oh.” For some reason, Kindaichi had never even considered that his teammates might also dislike their bodies. He had always been so convinced that his own lankiness was the worst problem there could be.

Actually, that wasn’t true. Before this morning, he hadn’t cared either way. It was because of those girls that he wanted to build muscle. Considering that, Kindaichi felt guilty standing here next to Watari, who had obviously been working out after practice for a long time. He shuffled his feet, unsure how to proceed.

“Do you want to keep me company?” Amazingly, Watari somehow always knew what to say, and no matter what he always seemed so genuine about it. Kindaichi smiled, gratefully.

“Ah, sure” he mumbled, setting himself down on the bench next to Watari. The two volleyball players chatted, helping each other use the various work out equipment. When they were done, they were both sweating buckets, but laughing happily and passing jokes back and forth. As they went their separate ways, Watari called out plans about their next workout to Kindaichi, and the latter cheerfully accepted.

He might have started working out because of some girls in his class, but Kindaichi found that his new friendship with the libero was a much more compelling reason to keep it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha, two characters in one! It's fun seeing team mates share similar concerns and trying to figure out how to make them fit. The number of these guys who want to grow taller/get stronger is huge! These poor boys all have body issues, apparently. Also, Oikawa was so freaking fun to write even though he only appeared for a bit. I can't wait until I do his actual chapter! So much pouting and wagging eyebrows, it'll be great.
> 
> And I'm gonna try to figure out an actual update schedule. I don't think I can do more than 2 chapters a week, so maybe a Tuesday-Friday kind of deal? I dunno, we'll see. Until then, let me know what you think!


	4. Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama: He gets the feeling that animals dislike him

Another long day, another evening spent grabbing snacks at the Foothill store. Since summer was starting to rear its head, the boys of Karasuno decided to celebrate a great practice with popsicles and other frozen treats. And after a heated foot race with Hinata (“Which I won!” the orange-haired boy had insisted, though there was room for doubt), Kageyama wanted nothing more than to sit on the curb and enjoy his popsicle in peace. Until…

“Aw, look, a cat!”

Almost instantly the ferocious “crows of Karasuno” were reduced to a mass of excited idiots. Hinata and Nishinoya were energetically calling out every cat name in existence, from the more reasonable “Pixie!” to odd combinations like “Princess-lightning-flower!” Sugawara was down on one knee and cooing softly, while Asahi made those little “tlk”ing noises. Even Tsukishima, who would have normally been above this, had been goaded into looking on in interest as Yamaguchi mewled softly.

In fact, everyone except Kageyama had been distracted by the appearance of the kitten, a situation Hinata was quick to notice.

“Hey, Kageyama, why aren’t you interested in the cat?”

“Idiot, why are you so interested? It’s just a cat”

Hinata gasped, genuinely upset. “Just a cat? Kageyama, cats are adorable creatures, and that one is no exception!”

“It’s true” piped up Tanaka, gravely. “That is the cutest cat I have ever seen”

“Do you have something against cats?” Hinata demanded.

“No, I just—”

“Are you a cat hater? Is that it?”

“What does that—no, of course no—”

“Could it be,” drawled Tsukishima, who had been watching the exchange with a smug expression, “that the King of the Court is afraid of a little kitty cat?”

There was a silence, and then:

“NO! I’m not afraid of ca—”

“You are, aren’t you!”

“Don’t worry, your senpai can protect you from ferocious kitties!”

“I don’t need protecti—”

“Actually I think cats can sometimes be quite scary”

“Asahi that is concerning and we will talk about it later”

“I didn’t even know ‘fear of cats’ was a thing”

“Wow, that’s gonna make our ‘Battle at the Trash Heap’ look really lame”

“Settle down, settle down!” came the slightly overwhelmed voice of reason. Suga was standing with his hands raised in a placating manner. He lowered them slowly and turned the subject of debate. “Kageyama, are you afraid of cats? You know we won’t think any less of you as a team mate”

“N-no” stammered Kageyama. “I just…I get the feeling they don’t like me. Any of them. Animals, I mean”

“Well course they won’t when your face is all grouchy like that!” Hinata exclaimed. “You have to look all friendly and stuff! Look” He turned to the cat, which was surprisingly still there and had been grooming itself during the argument, and proceeded to wiggle his fingers. “Here, kitty kitty!”

The cat looked up from its work, gave Hinata a once over, and promptly trotted towards him, tail high up in the air in affection. The sunshine-boy gave it a few good strokes before picking it up and cradling it in his arms. He turned back to Kageyama. “See? It’s not hard at all. You try!” And ignoring the setter’s sputtering protests, Hinata hoisted the cat into Kageyama’s lap. The boy looked at the cat, which was staring at him unblinkingly. He looked at his team mates, who were offering him varying degrees of “you can do it!” nods. Finally, he turned back to cat, and smiled.

Almost immediately the cat hissed, raised its fur, and scratched Kageyama across the cheek. It leapt out of his arms and bounded away, leaving in its wake one very amused volleyball team that was trying its best to stifle giggles.

The strained silence that followed was deafening, with Kageyama glaring daggers at anyone who even dared think about laughing. It was only broken when Ukai stepped outside the store and shooed them away, taking a moment to ask, concerned and oblivious to the tension, “Why is Kageyama’s face bleeding?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, there's the rest of Karasuno! I've been meaning to get them all in here!
> 
> I think Tuesday-Friday will work for me, so hopefully expect a new chapter before the week is done! I really like writing these, but I do have to be realistic considering the workload I have from school right now. 
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you think so far!


	5. Sleepy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennoshita: Even when he's really fired up, people tell him he looks sleepy.

“Nice kill Ennoshita!”

The wing spiker landed solidly, smiling as the ball bounced off the court. Today was his day. Today he was on fire.

While the starting members were practicing specific plays and attacks, the rest of Karasuno had split and begun a 3-v-3 game on the other side of the gym. This was a pretty frequent occurrence, especially with a practice match coming up against Nekoma. Coach Ukai wanted their team to move as fluidly as their rival, and if that meant dedicating extra time to the regulars’ dynamics with each other, then Ennoshita wouldn’t complain. Besides, the 3-v-3 games were fun and light-hearted, reminding him exactly why he loved this sport in the first place.

Well, having fun felt nice, sure, but winning felt even better. And as Ennoshita spiked another one of Suga’s sets, he knew it would score before it even hit the ground.

“Wow, good job!” Suga said, enthusiastically. “Your spikes have really improved. Keep that up and Tanaka will have some competition next year”

Ennoshita rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Eh, thank you Suga. But really, it’s not that big a deal”

But as the gap between the two scores kept widening, Ennoshita couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. He really was improving. Ever since he had abandoned the team in his first year, he had always felt that he would never be good enough to play on the same court as the others, that he didn’t deserve to. And when he came back, he had vowed to work twice as hard just to keep up. He thought he could settle with being on the bench for the rest of high school.

Except now he was actually getting better. And sure, maybe it wasn’t enough to secure a regular spot this year, but suddenly his dream of playing on the court didn’t seem so impossible. If he kept this up, he could join the others and finally earn his place on the team.

“Nice kill Ennoshi—”came an uncertain voice from the other side of the net. Ennoshita looked up and Yamaguchi ducked his head, embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you”

“Bother me?” replied the second year, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, Ennoshita’s all fired up, praise would only make him more excited” chipped in Narita.

“Not that we need him scoring more points against us” moaned Kinoshita, good-naturedly.

Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his neck. “Eh, it’s just that you look really tired and sleepy, so…”

There was a pause, and Ennoshita could feel his face getting redder. Narita and Kinnoshita giggled wildy off to the side, unable to contain their laughter, while Suga ducked under the net and clapped one arm around Yamaguchi’s shoulders.

“When you get to know the team better, you’ll be able to tell when someone’s in a good mood” he confidently told the first year. “Although,” he added, with a sly grin, “I will admit Ennoshita has this perpetually dozy face. If he’s this tired now, I can’t imagine how he’ll look once he’s captain!”

And sure, that comment made him even more embarrassed about his sleepy demeanour. But it also sparked some pride. Captain. A title that meant, once and for all, that he truly belonged on the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW I have all of Karasuno's boys! Still missing Takeda, Kiyoko and Yachi, but I'll get around to them soon.
> 
> Also, I only realized this after I wrote the whole thing, but technically Karasuno has 7 starting members, so there wouldn't be enough left over for a 3v3. Ah well. Let's pretend Noya's helping them out or something. Or maybe Kiyoko. She DID used to be an athlete.


	6. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi: His incessant dreams about the vice principal's flying wig.

Well, this was it. Graduation day. After three long years at Karasuno, it was finally time to say goodbye. Daichi was standing in line with the rest of his homeroom class, waiting for their turn to enter the gym. If he turned around he could see Suga a few spots behind him, flashing him a friendly smile, and up ahead Asahi had just gone in, his large figure hunched over and fiddling nervously with his uniform. All around him were the kids he had been with for the past three years. And after today, he wouldn’t see most of them again.

When it was finally their turn to walk in, Daichi’s feet were moving on autopilot. He could see the second years in their seats craning their necks to catch a glimpse of their senpai (Nishinoya was actually standing up to get a better view), and at the back of the room the volleyball team’s first years had snuck in and were trying to look as inconspicuous as possible (though Hinata’s “oohing” and “ahhing” was not helping). Daichi couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. They might be a little rough around the edges, but he knew they were an alright bunch, and the club would do fine in their hands.

Thinking about the club made him nostalgic. He had poured blood, sweat, and tears into Karasuno’s volleyball team for three years, and he could safely say he was leaving with no regrets. There had been moments of weakness, times when it seemed like they couldn’t move forward and games where they had all felt like quitting, but they pushed through. But had it been worth it? Daichi was going to college in Tokyo, and while he might play a game here or there, he knew neither he nor any of the other third years were continuing volleyball. Still, despite that fact, Daichi swore he would do it all over again if he could.

After all the names in his homeroom had been called, he stood up and made his way to the front of the gym. He had been chosen to receive the diploma on behalf on his class, an honour given less because of his decent grades and more because he was so well-liked by his peers. He shook hands with the principal and vice principal, the latter giving him a tight smile before turning out the audience.

“Today we’re going to do something a little out of the ordinary, but that I feel is necessary. As you know, we usually distribute the academic awards privately the day before the ceremony, but we in the faculty felt that this student’s accomplishments needed to be acknowledged here. Sawamura Daichi,” the vice principal continued, turning to face the confused third year, “you have been awarded the Male Athlete of the Year for your hard work and dedication to Karasuno’s volleyball club. Under your guidance, the team flourished and became the pride of our school. We are all very impressed and grateful for that”

There was a cheer from the audience, and Daichi could only stand there in shock. Him? Awarded in front of the school? Congratulated by the principal and vice principal? He hadn’t put in all that effort to win an award, but Daichi had to admit this was like a dream come true. The vice principal was continuing his speech, but the ex-captain had stopped listening and was scanning the crowd. He spotted Suga, giving him an excited thumbs up. Tanaka was a hard sight to miss, unbuttoning his uniform and pulling his shirt off in ecstasy as Ennoshita desperately tried to get him to settle down. In the back, Hinata was whooping loudly until Kageyama struck him on the head, and Daichi could practically hear the “Shut up dumbass” radiating off the setter. He turned back to the vice-principal, who was still going on about Daichi’s achievements, and felt the blood leave his face.

The vice principal’s wig was moving. It was shuffling around, stretching and unfolding until it resembled a pair of black wings. Then, slowly, it began to flap, hovering a few inches above the vice-principal’s head. There were murmurs in the audience, quiet at first but growing louder with every passing second, but the other man was continuing on with his speech, oblivious to what was happening. Suddenly, the wig took off and was flapping wildly around the gym. The students and faculty burst into laughter, leaping up trying to touch the wayward hairpiece. Even the principal was in on it, tears in his eyes as he doubled over and tried to catch his breath. Meanwhile, the vice principal was still talking, like he couldn’t see the chaotic scene around him. Daichi was frozen with fear. Should he try to catch the wig and give it back? Should he pretend like nothing was going on? Run away as fast as he could? As he ran through the options in his mind he didn’t notice the shadow getting closer and closer to him until

 

**_SMACK_ **

 

The wig was in his face. He tore it off and looked at it, and to his horror the wig reshaped itself into a mouth and smiled at him. “This is all your fault, Sawamura-kun!” it giggled. “All your fault!” 

 

* * *

 

Daichi woke up with a start, panting heavily. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of his bedroom, and to his relief there were no menacing hairpieces to be found. Once his breathing slowed to normal, he laid back down and toyed with ways to make tomorrow’s morning practice extra difficult. After all, he had to get back at his kouhai for ruining his sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I got super emotional writing the beginning of this chapter. Graduations make me a sad sap. Also, I'm sorry for three Karasuno chapters in a row! I ran out of buffer chapters, so now I'm posting them as I write them. Hopefully I can build a buffer back up again to keep things interesting.
> 
> EDIT: I got super sick this week! I want to have a chapter out on Friday, but like I mentioned I ran out of buffer, so it's all dependant on if I can work up the strength to actually write. Fingers crossed!


	7. Gel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo: Can't get rid of his bedhead hair

Nobody on the Nekoma volleyball quite knew what to say when Kuroo Tetsurou walked into the club room that morning. Indeed, the captain was going about his business like nothing was wrong: taking off his jacket, getting his practice uniform out, changing his shoes. If a stranger had walked by, they wouldn’t have thought anything was out of the ordinary. Still, something was obviously very different and _very wrong_ , but no one had the guts to confront the offender about it. Until, of course, some rather oblivious first years wandered into the room.

“Eh, Kuroo-san, why is your hair like that?” Inuoko inquired, despite Shibayama’s fretful attempts to stop him.

“Yeah,” added Lev, who had entered with the other first years, “it looks all weird and shiny!”

Kuroo turned around and faced his team, revealing in full the flattened, hardened shell that was attempting to pass for a hairstyle. The two curious first years were looking expectantly at him, while the rest of the team did their best to avoid meeting his gaze. Kuroo tightly smiled. “I just thought I’d try something new this morning. Is there a problem with that?”

Kuroo’s not-so-subtle threat had thankfully silenced the two, and he walked confidently into the gym leaving the rest of the team slightly terrified. Yaku was the first to break the silence, tugging Lev down to his level.

“Idiot, don’t go insulting the captain like that! You’re too informal with your senpai!”

“Ah, I’m sorry Yaku-san! It just looked so weird!”

“Oh, maybe Kenma-san knows!” Inuoka perked up, referring to the setter who had just idled in, game in hand. Kenma glanced up and found the eyes of the rest of Nekoma on him. He sighed and reluctantly mumbled, “Kuro wanted to use some of my hair gel this morning”

 

* * *

 

“Ah, Kenma, can I borrow this?”

Kuroo was holding up a small bottle marked HAIR GEL. He had been rifling through Kenma’s bathroom cabinets as he waited for the younger boy to finish getting ready.

“What do you want that for?”

“My hair’s really bothering me, I thought I’d try to style it for once”

“ ‘s your fault for sleeping so weirdly” mumbled Kenma, throwing his vest on over his shirt.

“Huh?” came a loud inquiry from the bathroom, which Kenma chose to ignore. Moments later, Kuroo emerged sporting smooth, shiny hair styled like a bowl-cut. Kenma had to stifle a laugh.

“What do you think?”

“How much hair gel did you use?”

“My hair wouldn’t stay down, I needed a lot!” defended Kuroo. “Anyways, at least now it’s guaranteed to stay, and really anything’s better than my bedhead”

“Whatever” adjourned Kenma, and he grabbed his game for the train ride. Kuroo gave himself one more once-over in the mirror, and smiled. Finally, his hair was neat.

 

* * *

 

As it turns out, sweat and moisture don’t agree with hair products, and by the end of practice Kuroo’s hair was back to standing up at all angles. The rest of the team made no comment on it, though secretly they were all relieved. His hair might be messy and chaotic, but somehow it was a look that suited the captain. As they were changing back into their school uniforms, only Lev was unwise enough to open his mouth.

“Hey, Kuroo-san, your hair’s back to normal!”

Kuroo froze, and the rest of the team tensed. When he turned around to face the first year, though, he was smiling. “Yeah, my hair just doesn’t agree with gel” he admitted. “Besides, it probably looks better this way”

“It really does! The other style looked ridiculous!”

Any retort Kuroo would have made was drowned out by the sound of smack followed by Yaku’s angry voice shouting “Apologize to the captain!” In the corner of the room, a murmur could be heard from Kenma: “Well, it’s something else I can agree with Lev on”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like shitty writing! Cause this chapter is full of it!
> 
> I've been sick and haven't been able to really devote time to writing, but I still wanted to post something for Friday. This fic is new enough that I'd feel bad not establishing some consistency. When I'm feeling better I might go back and fix this, but for now at least it exists. Also, two chapters about hair in a row. At least it's not Karasuno again.


	8. Manga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tendou: None of his teammates wants to talk to him about Shounen Jump.

Monday can mean a lot of different things. For some, it was the start of another long and difficult week. For others, it was a day to get back into routine after a weekend of relaxation. For Shiratorizawa third year Satori Tendou, it was the day the new Shounen Jump was released. And new Shounen Jump meant new manga to gush over.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Wakatoshi-kun, didja see the new Shounen Jump?” Tendou called out as he waltzed into Class 3. Technically his classroom was further down the hall, but there were still a few minutes before the bell rang, and Tendou wanted to talk to Ushijima. The latter was sitting at his desk near the window, staring out to the sports field below. He turned and shook his head.

“No, sorry Tendou, I don’t really read Shounen Jump”

Tendou just smiled. Of course he knew Ushijima didn’t read Shounen Jump: they had this conversation practically every week. But that wasn’t about to stop him.

“Ok, well, the newest chapter of _Ghost Battalion_ was in it, and it ended on this really big cliff hanger. The main guy, Sousuke, was about to give to finishing blow to the Grand Spirit Master, only at the last second he had a change of heart. But as he stepped back, the Grand Spirit Master started laughing evilly, and there was this sinister aura surrounding him, and—”

“Tendou, I’m not really all that interested”

The middle blocker deflated a bit. Ushijima was blunt and to the point, as always. He knew the ace wasn’t really paying attention, but Tendou had hoped he could at least finish the recap before getting cut off. Still, he figured he could spin the story in such a way to keep Ushijima from completely ignoring him.

“Yeah, but Wakatoshi, the thing is—”

And for the second time that conversation, Tendou was interrupted. The bell was ringing, and Tendou had to book it to get back to class before his teacher marked him late. As he sprinted out the door, he gave one last look over his shoulder. Ushijima was sitting quietly, completely unperturbed. Tendou sighed. There was no way he would be able to get Ushijima’s attention back later today. So he would just need to find someone else to talk to.

 

* * *

 

Lunchtime rolled around, along with Tendou’s next opportunity to find a conversation partner. Scanning his eyes around the cafeteria, his gaze fell upon Semi Eita, who seemed to be eating quietly by himself. Perfect.

“Eita-kun!” he drawled, making his way over to the setter. Semi looked up briefly before the tiniest of scowls set in his face. He quickly looked back down at his food again, but Tendou was not so easily shaken.

“Eita-kun,” he repeated, sitting down next to his friend, “do you read Shounen Jump?”

“No” came the immediate reply. Tendou chuckled at how impatient the other third year was getting.

“You really should! It’s got a lot of great stories and manga in it. My favorite’s _Ghost Battalion_ , it’s about this guy named Sousuke who has to defeat all these monsters coming out from the Underworld”

“It sounds childish. Aren’t you too old to be reading manga?”

Tendou pouted a bit. “No, I’m not. Reading manga keeps me youthful. You should try it yourself, Eita-kun, I think you’re starting to form wrinkles”

Semi only glared harder, making the aforementioned creases between his eyebrows even more prominent. “I’m leaving” he stated, gathering his food together.

“Aw, come on! I think this could be good for you!” Tendou called out to Semi’s retreating figure. He seemed to be heading over to where Reon was sitting, and for a brief moment Tendou considered following him. Ultimately, though, he decided he didn’t want to rile the hot headed setter up _too_ much, and he resigned himself to finding someone else to talk to.

 

* * *

 

As usual, volleyball practice was intense, leaving not a lot of room for personal chitchat. It was only while they were doing cool down stretches that Tendou could approach his next victim.

“Goshiki! You read manga, right?”

The first year flinched at his name, but then faced Tendou with a serious expression. “Sometimes” he admitted. “I think the protagonists are really admirable!”

“So you read Shounen Jump? Did you see the new _Ghost Battalion_ chapter? What did you think about the ending? Why would Sousuke change his mind like that? Do you think the Grand Spirit Master is planning something?”

Goshiki was fidgeting during Tendou’s questioning, before finally speaking up. “Tendou-san, I would love to discuss the manga with you, but I was hoping to get more spiking practice in. I need to improve my skills if I want to be the Ace” Tendou opened his mouth to reply, but Goshiki cut him off with a deep bow “I’m sorry! I hope you can understand!”

The kid was so eager, Tendou just closed his mouth and sighed. No use being a bad senpai about it.

 

* * *

 

That evening, Tendou opted to walk part of the distance to his house instead of taking the train. All his attempts to talk about Shounen Jump today were completely shut down. He looked at his feet as the toes of his shoes scuffed the ground. He wasn’t the type to get mopey, but even Tendou was feeling a little depressed after all that had happened. His ears perked up as he heard an approaching conversation, and he lifted his head to see a bald teenager and a short kid with blond tuft of hair, talking animatedly. They didn’t even spare him a glance as they passed, but Tendou picked up snippets of their conversation.

“Can you believe Sousuke did that! I was so certain he was gonna finish the Grand Spirit Master off and be all gwah! And hyeah!”

“Yeah! But then he just stepped back all cool-like, saying ‘I have decided to spare your life’. And then the Grand Spirit Master started laughing!”

“I know!”

As the duo excitedly kept walking, Tendou couldn’t help but sigh. Lucky bastards.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I'm concerned it's still Tuesday, so this chapter isn't late. And to make up for last week's shitty writing, this one's a teensy bit longer! And probably better-written! 
> 
> Fun fact: I used to not like Tendou's character until I realized he is totally me. And now I can't help but feel a weird sense of pride whenever he does something cool. Also, I totally made up Ghost Battalion, but now I really want to read it. It sounds cool.
> 
> Edit: No chapter for October 10th, sorry! School is almost done for me (weird timing, I know), so there's been a rush of work. I'll have a chapter for Tuesday, and maybe a few more written as a buffer, too!


	9. Train ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aone: When he's riding the train nobody wants to sit on either side of him. 
> 
> Asahi: When he tells people he's a student nobody believes him, 1st years are afraid of him, girls in his class say things like "Even though he looks the way he does, he's kinda weak" and then get themselves disappointed, also his future plans, the captain being scary... (cut for length)

Practice matches were useful. They allowed teams to work on their skills against actual opponents, and they were a good opportunity to see rival players outside the tournament setting. Which is why Dateko organized as many practice matches as they could, and why (at Aone’s request) these matches were often against Karasuno. He had formed an unlikely friendship with the other team’s tiny middle blocker after the Interhigh tournament, and as a result wanted to play against him as much as possible. The rest of Dateko didn’t mind, though, since it gave them an opportunity to practice their blocks against that freak quick. Karasuno’s side seemed to like this arrangement too: the more practice against blocking the likes of an Iron Wall, the better.

This particular practice match had gone on quite a bit longer than usual, mostly due to the fact that both teams had wanted to keep playing even after the first few games were done. Karasuno had a few passionate players who always called for “One more!”, and for once Dateko had given in to their enthusiasm. Three games later, even the most excitable players were tired, and both teams decided to call it quits. The teams parted, and everyone went their separate ways.

It was only as Futakuchi gave one last “See ya later” to him that Aone realized his usual train had stopped running for the evening. It wasn’t a major issue, it just meant he needed to cross to the next platform and take a slightly longer route home. He did so without much thought, but as he climbed the stairs he noticed a familiar figure standing near the end of the platform. Peering closer, Aone recognized Karasuno’s Ace… _Asahi-san_ , he remembered Hinata called him. This must be the train he takes to get home. Aone shrugged with indifference and stepped into the train when it approached, noting that they were in the same car.

He hardly noticed the young woman next to him that immediately got up and moved across the aisle. Similarly, he didn’t register the fretful older man who gazed at him fearfully before choosing to sit in a different car. After all, he was used to it. He wished people weren’t so scared of him, but on the other hand this saved him from awkward conversations with strangers, so it wasn’t all bad.

What he wasn’t used to, though, was sharing this treatment with someone else. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but the car was suspiciously empty. Looking around, Aone realized that while the seats to his immediate left and right were vacant, there was no one sitting in any of the seats surrounding the Karasuno player. Aone almost thought nothing of it, until he saw the wing spiker was fidgeting nervously. And then he heard the whispers.

 

“Is that actually a high school student?”

“No way, he looks way too old”

“But he’s wearing a high school uniform, he has to be”

“Maybe he had to redo some grades, he looks like the delinquent type”

“He’s probably in a gang, don’t make eye contact”

“Scary!”

 

Aone frowned. Sure, the Karasuno Ace ( _Asahi_ , he reminded himself) was intimidating on the court, but after so many practice matches he knew he was a total softie in real life. Even now, Asahi was curling in on himself, as though trying to appear as small as possible (not an easy feat for someone his size). Normally, Aone would have simply ignored this and gotten on with his journey. But part of him recognized the shame on Asahi’s face, the apologetic look quivering on his lips. It was the part of him that sometimes whispered _I’m sorry for being so scary._ And it was that part of him that made Aone stand up, move across the car, and sit down next to the Ace.

Asahi seemed startled at first, but then gradually noticed that the whispering had stopped. One large teenager was perfect for the rumour mill, but apparently two were too intimidating to talk about. He smiled gratefully.

“Thanks for that, I’m not used to company on train rides. I’m Asahi Azumane, by the way, I don’t think we’ve ever formally been introduced? You must be Aone, Hinata talks about you often”

Aone merely grunted in reply, pleased that Hinata apparently did this. Asahi seemed to take this as a cue to keep talking.

“You’re not usually on this train, right? I guess you must take a different one, but since the practice match ran late it probably stopped running”. Another grunt. Asahi sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that, some of the guys on our team just don’t know when to stop. They all have too much energy, Hinata especially. He really likes these matches though. Anytime we have one scheduled, he gets all fired up”

“I can imagine”

Asahi seemed a little surprised that Aone spoke at all, but he quickly laughed. “Yeah, he’s just a ball of energy, the rest of us can hardly keep up. I bet Daichi, our captain, wishes I was more like that. But...”

A raised eyebrow (or rather, a raised forehead muscle, but the intention was still there).

“The captain is kind of scary. He’s reliable, don’t get me wrong, and when it comes to motivating the team or giving support he’s the best there is. But sometimes he gets this look on his face, and it sends shivers down my spine. If I was as loud as Hinata, I’m sure I’d see that face more often. Not to mention I’d get a lot more attention than I already do, and I’m not sure I could handle that. There’s enough people already who are scared of me, or don’t think I’m in high school, or whatever. It kind of—”

Asahi cut himself off, noticing the scenery outside. “My station’s coming up soon” he said, almost regretfully. He turned to Aone, who had been sitting quietly the whole time. “I’m sorry for babbling on like that. Normally there are other guys around to fill the silences, so I don’t usually talk that much. But,” he continued, smiling, “it was nice to kind of let it all out, you know? Therapeutic”

Aone could agree. He knew what it was like to hang around loudmouths (after all, he was best friends with Futakuchi). And though he was more accustomed to listening, even he sometimes had things to say too important to keep bottled up.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Asahi added, gathering his things together before the door opened. He turned to face Aone, and all his anxiety seemed to have melted away. “Your Iron Wall is tough. But I’m Karasuno’s Ace. And even if I’m not as bright or showy as Hinata, I will find a way to break through it permanently. You can count on that”

The doors closed, and the train sped past Asahi’s figure on the platform, standing tall. Aone smiled to himself. It seemed he had one more reason to look forward to Karasuno practice matches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ominous chanting in the distance* go go let's go let's go Dateko
> 
> Yeah, I know this chapter is late (a taboo since I missed the last update), but with good reason! I had to rewatch the anime to figure out Aone's character (he's so hard to write), and then the next thing I know I had finished season 1 again. So.
> 
> I just really like the idea of remediation between Asahi and Dateko, and what better way than through Dateko's own scary player Aone? Two softie giants being all buddy-buddy. They probably send cute snapchats of flowers to each other and complain about their obnoxiously loud friends.


	10. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi: Whenever he thinks a cute girl has come over to talk to him, all they want to talk about is Tsukishima.
> 
> Tsukishima: On entering high school, he once again has to put up with various people asking how to read the character for his first name.

The time between classes was perfect for daydreaming. His morning walk to school was spent chatting to Tsukishima about whatever came to mind, and lunchtime was reserved for hanging out with Hinata, Kageyama, and Yachi. Before and after school, he was busy with volleyball. And by the time he got home, he was too tired to do much else other than homework and sleep. But in those precious few minutes after one class ends but before another begins, Yamaguchi had his thoughts to himself. And since Tsukishima spent the time listening to music, and Yamaguchi wasn’t a popular kid, there was little chance of someone interrupting his daydreams.

Today, those daydreams revolved around volleyball. Yamaguchi didn’t consider himself obsessed with the sport, not like some of the other guys on the team, but since joining Karasuno he began to take it more seriously. He was thinking about his jump float serve and all the ways to improve it. Picturing himself on the court at nationals, his teammates congratulating him as he got yet another service ace. The crowd cheering his name, “Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi…”

“Yamaguchi?” a soft voice asked, and the freckled boy blinked away his daydream. He looked up and saw a girl leaning over his desk, and light blush dusting her cheeks.

 _C-cute_ Yamaguchi thought immediately, followed by a series of musings that could only be described as “panicky”.

_Do I know her? Is she in my class? I don’t think so, but I’ve seen her around, maybe she’s in class 5 with Yachi? Should I know her name? Have we met before? I wonder why she’s over here. She looks sort of nervous, that’s weird. She’s blushing too, that’s pretty cute…_

_Does she like me!? Is this a confession!? No way, if we’ve never met she can’t like me. But why is she blushing? What if she does confess? What do I say? Do I like her? I mean, we’ve never talked, I don’t know. But maybe that’s how confessions go?_

_Crap, she’s still talking, what did she say? What do I say?_

“Uh...”

“Yamaguchi?” she prodded again. “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine, I just thought since you’re such close friends with Tsukishima-kun you would know”

“Know what?”

The girl looked at him quizzically. “How to read the kanji for his first name. Someone mentioned it wasn't the usual reading, so I wanted to double check”

Still distracted by his previous train of thought, Yamaguchi was confused. “Why do you want to know Tsukki’s full name?”

The blush deepened to a dark crimson. “I, um, want to ask him something”. She dropped her voice so low Yamaguchi had to strain to hear. “A c-confession”

“Oh”

Of course. Girls were always interested in Tsukishima. He was tall, cool, and aloof. They thought he was so handsome, but because of his distant personality none of them ever approached him directly. Which made the much more friendly Yamaguchi the middle man. He didn’t blame Tsukishima, not one bit. In fact, he admired his friend for being so cool. But sometimes he wished that other people saw him as his own person, and not just Tsukishima’s lackey. Yamaguchi was too shy to say anything, though, which is how it somehow always wound up like this.

“Uh, yeah, sure, it's—”

“What's going on?" came a new voice, startling both Yamaguchi and the girl. As fate would have it, Tsukishima was standing there, spine curled slightly and weight shifted on his back foot so he appeared relaxed and bored. The girl squeaked in surprise and turned back to Yamaguchi. “Never mind, I can get it later. Thank you!” And she rushed out of the class, leaving the two other first years more than a little miffed. Tsukishima returned to his seat behind Yamaguchi and tapped him on the shoulder.

“What was that all about?”

“Uh, a girl from class 5, I think. She wanted to know how to read your first name”

An irritated look crossed the blonde’s face. “Why would she need to know that?”

“I think she wanted to confess to you..?”

Tsukishima scowled. “She shouldn’t be bothering my friends for such petty reasons. If she can’t even approach me to ask me something as simple as that, why would she think I’d say yes?”

“Girls find you kind of scary, Tsukki” Yamaguchi ventured.

“That’s not my problem” the other retorted. “If she likes me, she shouldn't be afraid of me. And another thing: Yamaguchi, were you going to tell her?”

Now it was Yamaguchi’s turn to blush a little. “Uh, yeah, probably. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by saying no”

“Don’t be so pathetic. It’s not your job to be my personal secretary or whatever” Tsukishima turned away and began putting back on his headphones. Before playing his music, he drawled out: “You’re your own person, Yamaguchi. You should start acting like it”

The words themselves were harsh, but Yamaguchi knew it was hiding concern and worry. He might have seemed like a mean person, but Tsukishima genuinely cared about his friend’s wellbeing. Yamaguchi smiled brightly and faced the front of the room again, his previous feelings of unworthiness gone.

“Sorry Tsukki” he sang, and went back to daydreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Thank you to Morty for helping me with Tsukki's name! I hope this makes more sense now
> 
> Honestly, I should probably change my schedule to Wednesday-Saturday, since I can never seem to get these chapters out before midnight. Oh well, I personally don't mind much? As long as I'm updating twice a week, I'm happy, and I don't think anyone is so gung ho about this fic that they're on the edge of their seat every Tuesday and Friday just waiting for an update. 
> 
> But actually, if the dodgy timing is bothering anyone, let me know!


	11. Balding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeru: He feels like his father's hairline is retreating day by day .

Takeru had once described his home like “Jurassic Park”: loud, messy, and difficult to manoeuvre. And like Jurassic Park, there were many different kinds of “dinosaurs” to be found. His older brother, Isamu, was like a Pterodactyl: gliding wherever the wind takes him, soaring high above the chaos of the world below. His younger siblings, Makato and Minoru, were a pair of excitable Raptors: tiny but full of energy, and force to be reckoned with when they tag-team you. His mother was a Triceratops: a stern but generally peaceful person, although she definitely had the same competitive streak as her family, and wasn’t one to shy away from a fight.

And that meant his father was none other than a Tyrannosaurus Rex: the mighty king of the dinosaurs, the patriarch that guided the rest of them through thick and thin. He was the one to rouse the family into action at every sporting event, leading each and every cheer with an incredible amount of devotion and genuine enthusiasm.

Takeru might have admired Karasuno’s Little Giant as a volleyball player, but his biggest inspiration was his own father.

Except that the dinosaurs eventually went extinct, and the T-Rex was no exception. Sure, his dad wasn’t planning on getting hit by a meteorite any time soon, but the tell-tale signs of aging were still there.

“Good morning dear” his mother cooed to his father as he sat down for breakfast one morning. She brought over a plate of food and set it before him, kissing the top of his head (Takeru made sure his younger siblings weren’t looking). After a few moments of love-sick silence, she chuckled. “My, how your hair has gotten grey!”

His father laughed in return. “Don’t say that, I have still have some years of fight left in me!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I think it makes you look distinguished”

The banter continued, but Takeru was too busy blocking Makato’s ears to listen. Until:

“Is it just me, love, or has your forehead gotten bigger too?”

“No dear, that’s just my hairline receding. It happens to the best of us. My father, his father, and his father before were all bald by sixty. Consider it the Nakashima curse!”

Takeru visibly paled. Bald by sixty? Nakashima curse? Is this what he had to look forward to?

From that day onwards, Takeru was obsessed with his father’s hairline. Surely, if anyone could break the curse, it was the mighty T-Rex. He had to. Because if his father went bald, then what hope did he have in the future? Each day he made careful note of his father’s appearance, and sure enough he noticed the hair getting greyer and sparser as the months went on. Until finally one day, his father came downstairs glumly.

“Well,” he announced. “I think my hair is on its last legs. So starting today I’m dying it black for one last hurrah”

 

* * *

 

Takeru showed up for his next volleyball practice with a shaved head. After all, he might as well get used to the sensation of having no hair. In Jurassic Park, you did what you had to do to evolve.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short (but on time) chapter! I really want to get as wide a range of characters in this fic as possible, so I'm trying to include all the teams. 
> 
> On another note: I go into production next week, meaning my schedule gets a whole lot busier. As such, starting next week I'll only be able to update once a week. I'm thinking of keeping it to Fridays, since Thursday is my shortest day. Anyways, I hope that doesn't bother anyone too much!


	12. Kohai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga: A lot of his kohai are taller than him.

It started when they were setting up for practice. A couple of the balls were deflated, and Suga, being the helpful vice-captain he was, had offered to grab the pump from the storage area. He knew the pump was normally kept on the top shelf. What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was just how tall that top shelf would be. And that was why he was now standing on the tips of his toes, stretching his arms as high as they would reach. But despite his strained efforts, his fingers dangled uselessly below their destination.

“Um, Suga-san?” came a hesitant voice from the doorway. Suga turned and saw Yamaguchi standing there, looking more than a little awkward. “Coach was wondering why you were taking so long getting the pump…”

Suga willed away the flush in his cheeks, laughing to cover his embarrassment. “Aha, the shelf is a little taller than I thought it was! Don’t worry, I was just about to grab the step-ladder”

“I could reach the pump if you’d like?” Yamaguchi offered, making his way over to the shelf.

“Well, it’s pretty tall, I don’t know if you could—”

Suga’s claim died in his mouth as Yamaguchi easily reached up and grabbed the pump. The first year smiled sheepishly and handed it to the setter, who couldn’t help but gape.

“I just went through a growth spurt before school started” Yamaguchi provided by way of explanation, dropping his gaze to his feet. “I feel gangly and out of proportion most of the time, but sometimes my lanky arms are useful”

Suga closed his mouth and looked up at the other boy (yes, up at him, even if the height difference was only a couple of inches). Instinctively, he put on a smile. “Well, I’m sure you’ll grow into your body. And anyways, long arms are useful in volleyball, so consider yourself lucky!”

Yamaguchi lifted his eyes. “Thanks, Suga-san” he smiled gratefully, before jogging back to practice. Suga made as though to follow, but then paused. He looked down at the pump in his hands; up at the shelf; and across to the young boy joining the rest of the team. Allowing one sigh to pass through his lips, he resumed his usual smiling disposition and jogged into the gym.

 

* * *

 

And then it was spiking practice. Kageyama, after seeing Noya’s set to Suga, had desperately wanted to include the third year with the other spikers he set for. Suga watched him give a perfect toss to Tanaka (who slammed the ball down and then excitedly tore his shirt off) before it was his turn.

“Suga-san,” Kageyama called to him, “Do you have a way you like your toss?”

“Just something easy to work with” Suga replied. “I haven’t done enough spiking to have a preference yet”

Suga’s eyes followed the ball as it moved from Coach Ukai’s serve to Noya’s receive and right to Kageyama. He approached the net as the ball left Kageyama’s hands and leapt at the exact moment the ball was at its highest. Unfortunately for Suga, though, that was just a little too high, and the third year wound up flailing to make contact with the ball, only just managing to get it over the net. He landed, a little unsteady on his feet and more than little disappointed in himself.

“Sorry!” he heard from Kageyama, and seconds later the setter was at his side. “I apologize, that toss was too high. I just repeated what I did with Tanaka, I hadn’t realized he must be taller than you”

Suga faltered momentarily, his eyes focused on the second year wing spiker (who was now laughing loudly at some joke he made). He hadn’t realized it either, but Kageyama’s tosses were too scarily accurate to be wrong about something like this. Suga shook his head and turned back to face Kageyama.

“Don’t mind, don’t mind” he sang, patting the first year on the back. “We’ll get it for sure next time”

“Thank you, Suga-san” Kageyama bowed slightly, and returned to where he had been setting from. When he was out of earshot, Suga exhaled the breath he had been holding and made his way to the back of the spiking line.

 

* * *

 

The next time didn’t even have anything to do with volleyball, which is how Suga knew some celestial force must be screwing with him. The team was taking a quick water break, and Suga noticed the second year trio talking and laughing more loudly than usual. He quickly approached them, wondering what was causing the excitement.

“You two aren’t even that much taller than me!” Kinoshita was whining. Narita laughed and gave him a smack on the back.

“Well, Ennoshita’s only a centimetre taller, but I think I have quite a few inches on you”

“Anyways,” Ennoshita continued, “it doesn’t matter if it’s one centimetre or one hundred. The point is, you’re still the second-shortest second year”

“Yeah, and your competition is Nishinoya, which hardly counts”

“Hey, hey” Suga cut in, placating. “If anything, Noya proves that anyone can play volleyball, regardless of height”

“Yeah, but you can’t deny that being tall helps” Narita pointed out.

“But it’s not the most important thing. Just look at Hinata: he’s the shortest middle blocker in the prefecture, but he plays right alongside everyone else. Don’t worry, Kinoshita,” Suga turned to the wing spiker. “I’m not that tall either. I’m only 174.3 centimetere, but I still put in my all at every game" 

There was a tense silence, Kinoshita’s eyes going wide before immediately dropping down to his feet. The other two second years were also silent.

“Is there something wrong?” Suga ventured, unsure at this development.

“N-no,” stammered out Kinoshita. “Um, thank you for the advice, Suga-san. I’m 174.7 centimetres, so it means a lot to hear it from you”

“Oh”

Another tense silence.

“Well,” Suga filled in, back to his sunny smile. “We better get back to practice. I’ll see what Daichi has planned”

He walked back to where the other third years were chatting, hearing Ennoshita’s words in his head. It doesn’t matter if it’s one centimetre, one hundred centimetres, or less than half a centimetre: he was one of the oldest players on Karasuno’s team, and he was the third shortest.

 

* * *

 

And like most practices, this one ended with a trip to the Foothill store. The usual players scrambled into the store first (Noya and Tanaka in a flurry of excitement, Hinata and Kageyama engaged in another race) while the rest of the team sauntered in at a relaxed pace. Suga was just about to grab a drink from the fridge when he heard loud cries of despair from one of the aisles.

“But Kageyama, I can’t reach it!”

“Just jump for it, dumbass, it’s not that high”

“If I jump I might knock things over again, you saw how angry Coach Ukai got last time!”

“Well, I’m not getting it for you, so figure something out”

Turning the corner, Suga saw Hinata staring forlornly up at one of the shelves, with Nishinoya tapping his foot impatiently.

“Come on Shouyou” Noya whined. “Just grab something else. Ryuu’s waiting outside, and I bet he’s already eaten some of my popsicle!”

“But I wanted milk bread today!”

Suga was about to turn around and pretend he hadn’t seen them (and with the kind of day he had had today, who could blame him?), but Noya’s reflexes were too quick.

“Suga-san!” he called loudly, causing the setter the freeze where he stood. “Could you grab some milk bread for Shouyou so we can get out of here?”

Suga turned back around to face the pair, smiling sheepishly. “Well, I guess I could try”. Swallowing, he walked over to the shelf where Hinata was looking up desperately. He reached up…and easily grabbed a package, bringing it down and handing it over to the first year. 

“Wow, that was awesome!” Hinata beamed excitedly. “You’re so tall, Suga-san, you grabbed that milk bread like it was nothing!”

“Yeah, Suga-san's pretty tall” Noya agreed. “But remember, Shouyou: us shorties can dominate the volleyball court when we want to!” With dramatic flair, Noya puffed his chest out and pointed his thumb to himself. Hinata, if it was possible, looked even more awed.

“Wow, Noya-senpai, you’re so cool!”

And the duo walked out of the store, talking excitedly and leaving behind one very happy Sugawara.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I'm sorry it's a day late! I actually fell asleep at my laptop while writing this chapter!))
> 
> I wasn't planning on another Karasuno chapter, but how could I resist when I discovered Suga is the third shortest player on the team? It got a little sad at parts, but I think it ends happily~
> 
> Starting next week I'll only update once a week! So see you then!


	13. Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyotani: Lawson's new "Kara Age Kun" is hard to throw away.

“Hey, Mad Dog-chan! We’re all going for food, do you want to join us?”

Kyotani growled at Oikawa’s use of the nickname (no, not growled, because that would only encourage the setter to keep using it), but reluctantly trailed behind the rest of Seijou’s volleyball team as they left practice. He had only recently starting playing with them again, and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew he needed to get along with the others if he wanted to actually play in a real game. Besides, it’s not like he had better things to do.

“So!” Oikawa said with a clap of his hands, turning around to face the rest of the group. “What do we want?”

“Noodles” came the instant reply from Matsukawa and Hanamaki, the duo high-fiving for their synchronicity. Oikawa sighed dramatically.

“Nu-uh Mattsun, Makki. You two choose noodles every time we have this conversation. I think we should have a vote!”

“I vote for noodles” Matsukawa deadpanned.

“Seconded” Hanamaki chimed in.

“Nooo, Iwa-chan, make them stop!”

“Then buy them noodles”

 

* * *

 

They got chicken. After an excessive amount of whining and pouting from Oikawa, Matsukawa and Hanamaki conceded that they didn’t actually want noodles, they just wanted to mess with him. When the captain turned on Iwaizumi and asked why he had joined in, the latter only shrugged and said it was good to knock Oikawa down a few pegs from time to time. Kyotani had snickered at that, but not loud enough for the others to notice.

The group had drifted apart, the third years sitting at a table by the window while the rest of the team split into smaller groups and ate together. Kyotani was the exception, eating his meal alone a few seats away from Yahaba and Watari. This was, of course, fine by him. He would be a good sport and join the team in getting food, but that didn’t mean he had to play nice and make stupid conversation with them. His plan was to go in, grab a bite to eat, and slip out before the others could drag him to some other “team-bonding experience”. In fact, he had just finished eating and was about to dump his tray when he noticed something. He had been too busy scarfing down his meal to see it before, but the container for the food was decorated with a cartoon chicken. Its eyes were shiny, and its tiny wings raised as though in enthusiastic joy. It was unbearably cute.

“Crap”

He should just throw it away. It was a piece of flimsy, greasy cardboard, it’s not like he could reuse it or clean it up or something. It belonged in the trash.

But the chicken was too fucking cute.

“Crap crap crap”

Kyotani shifted his eyes nervously around. Everyone seemed preoccupied with their meals and conversations, no one would notice if he just slipped the package into his backpack—

“Whatcha doing?”

Kyotani jumped in surprise and turned around to see Yahaba peering over his shoulder. He felt his ears go red and fumbled to close his bag.

“Uh, nothing. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Watari went to washroom, so I got bored. Did you just put the fried chicken container into your bag?”

“No—” A smirk from Yahaba “—I mean, yes, but it’s not what you think”

“Oh?” Eyebrows raised, smirk even cockier. This kid had learned a lot more than just setting from Oikawa.

“Uh, it’s,” Why the fuck was he trying to explain himself? “It’s for a project. For school”

“Wow, the rebellious and delinquent Mad Dog is doing homework? Somehow I don’t believe that”

Kyotani bristled. He really, _really_ didn’t want to draw more attention to himself. But if Yahaba called him that one more time, he didn’t think he could control himself.

Thankfully, though, the setter seemed to take the hint. “Sorry, sorry. But you know, Kyotani, it’s OK to admit that you like the packaging. I think it’s pretty cute too, but not enough to want to keep it”

Kyotani flushed, and opened his mouth to deny it, but Yahaba laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Can’t have people thinking our terrifying attack dog has a sensitive side, right? The other schools wouldn’t take us seriously then, and I think that would just about crush Oikawa-senpai, huh?”

The spiker could only eye Yahaba warily, unsure if there was some hidden agenda going on. He cautiously zipped up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, getting out of his seat. Yahaba patted him on the back and dipped down a little to speak quietly in his ear.

“Trust me, your secret’s safe. That is, of course, as long as you continue to come to practices and give it your all. You’re a good player, so you need to use your skills to help Aobajousai win. Alright?” And with that, Yahaba pushed Kyotani out the door. The latter stumbled before regaining his balance, and continued walking home. Behind him, he heard a flighty voice calling “See you Monday morning!”, and Kyotani shuddered at how much Oikawa has rubbed off on the other second year. Preening the next captain, apparently.

Extorted by Yahaba. Somehow, Kyotani got the feeling practices would be extra bothersome now.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad week. Don't wanna talk about it. So here's the chapter at last!
> 
>  
> 
> Kyotani's one of favorite characters in the series, because I too am ridiculously aggressive and angry when I play sports. And Yahaba is very hard to write, so I wound up just going with "Oikawa-in-training"


	14. Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futakuchi: He has to go and get his wisdom teeth pulled.

It was always tough to be the captain for Datekou’s volleyball team, but Mondays were especially tough. After a nice two-day break from practice, it was easy for Moniwa to forget just how difficult of a job it was. Without fail, he would drop his guard and relax, and without fail he would wind up regretting it. Yes, Moniwa thought to himself, Mondays were definitely the worst day of the week.

(somewhere, a certain Shiratorizawa third year was in complete disagreement)

As he approached the gym doors, Moniwa was certain today would be like every other Monday. Though he felt wary enough, there was no doubt trouble was lurking on the other side of those doors. Trouble in the form of a certain loudmouth second year.

And yet, as he entered the gym, the space was surprisingly silent. Moniwa looked around, certain there must be no one else there because of how quiet it was, but the rest of the team was on the other side stretching. Including Futakuchi. Moniwa walked hesitantly towards the group, curious but at the same time on high alert. This would not be the first time Futakuchi had dared prank the captain.

“Hey, Moniwa, you’ll never believe what happened!” called out Kamasaki. The blond third year was grinning wildly, and to Moniwa’s disbelief Futakuchi was…pouting?

“Our little troublemaker had a toothache this weekend, so he went to the dentist thinking it was a cavity or something. Turns out, his wisdom teeth are growing in, and he has to get them removed on Saturday. Which means he won’t be able to play for a few weeks after the surgery”

“That’s not exactly good news, Kama”

“Yeah, but get this: right now, his jaw hurts so much he can barely open his mouth. He hasn’t said a peep all day, and probably won’t for the rest of the week!”

“Futakuchi…can’t speak?”

Losing Futakuchi for the next couple weeks would be tough: he was a great player, there was no doubt about it. After all, there was a reason he would be captain come spring. But he also a self-proclaimed “problem child”, mostly due to his snarky commentary and provocative remarks. In fact, a good 90% of Moniwa’s stresses as captain originated in some way or shape from Futakuchi not knowing how or when to shut up.

Which meant the next three weeks would be absolute bliss.

Not that Moniwa could let the guy know.

“Futakuchi,” he began, and instantly saw the wariness on the second year’s face. If he was gonna kick the poor guy while he was down, now would be the time, and Futakuchi knew all too well how much he deserved it. Instead, Moniwa smiled.

“I hope your surgery goes well. Rest up for the next few weeks, but don’t get lazy and slack off. Keep your mind sharp, and stretch regularly to make sure your body stays limber. You’re an important part of the team. The Iron Wall needs you in tip top shape”

And with an encouraging pat on the back, Moniwa sent the second year off with the others to start running laps, Futakuchi practically beaming from the captain’s praise. Kamasaki paused before joining the others, turning to the other third year.

 

“Futakuchi was pretty sour all day, and it looks like your words cheered him right up. That was surprisingly mature of you, Captain”

“Yeah, I guess”

“I thought for sure you would be celebrating the fact that we won’t have Futakuchi talking all practice”

“Well, I have to set a good example”

“…”

“…”

“You’re totally gonna call him when he’s high on painkillers and record the conversation, huh?”

“Oh absolutely”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ominous chanting gets closer* go go let's go let's go Dateko
> 
> This chapter could also work for Moniwa's concern (the second years), but I decided to keep it separate in case I want a chapter to focus on Futakuchi and Aone together.
> 
>  
> 
> I would like to apologize for the sudden and unexplained hiatus. A lot of things piled up on me suddenly, and I decided a needed to take a breather. So, I'm sorry there hasn't been a chapter for a few weeks, but I'm happy to say I feel a lot better now. Updates will happen weekly, but at any point during the week. This frees me up a bit, and hopefully means I won't get as stressed.
> 
> Anywho, thanks for reading!


	15. Thighs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michimiya: She's been told her thighs are "sturdy".

Today was a good day. No, actually, today was a great day. A fantastic day. A terrific day. The kind of day where you couldn’t help but hum while you worked. Which is exactly what Michimiya was doing as she set up the volleyball nets in the 1st gym that Friday afternoon.

“Wow, someone’s sure in a good mood, huh?” came the lightly-teasing voice of the ace, Aihara. Michimiya stopped humming, startled at the interruption.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so!” the captain sang back.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you asked Sawamura to join us for practice, huh?”

All the blood rushed to Michimiya’s face. “No, no, it’s not like—I mean—the second gym is undergoing renovations, so the boys’ team would have nowhere to go. I just thought I’d let them know they could have a joint practice with us, they work really hard—and since the basketball team is away right now, I thought—it has nothing to do with—"

“Relax!” laughed Aihara. “I was just teasing you. God, your crush on Sawamura is such an easy target to make fun of”

“I don’t have a crush on him!” Michimiya blurted. The rest of the team looked at her with varying degrees of scepticism, and she eventually sighed. “Alright, I sort of like him. But he’s also one of my closest friends, so please don’t make this weird or anything”

“Make what weird?” asked a new voice from the doorway. To Michimiya’s horror, there was Karasuno’s other volleyball team, with none other than the aforementioned Sawamura Daichi looking inquisitively in.

“Nothing, nothing!” Michimiya hurriedly replied. “Anyways, thanks for coming”

“No problem!” Daichi smiled. “We’re grateful you could accommodate us. We’d be in trouble if we had nowhere to practice”

“Thanks for having us!” the chorus of boys behind Daichi chimed in loudly, causing Michimiya to look flustered.

“You’re welcome. You can come in and start stretching, if you’d like”

As the flurry of boys rushed passed her, racing to start warming up, Daichi stepped closer to the other captain.

“Thanks again for the invite. I know the others really appreciate it” he said, watching the two teams merge. Suga and Asahi were chatting amicably with some of the third year girls they knew from class. Hinata was excitedly talking to Aihara, and his enthusiastic arm motions indicated he was probably gushing about her being the ace. Sasaki timidly approached Nishinoya, probably to ask about receives (though the latter was busy posing extravagantly with Tanaka, the duo fired up from all the cute girls).

“It’s really not a problem. Actually,” Michimiya admitted, “I think having you guys here will help motivate the others. I haven’t exactly been the strictest captain, so maybe seeing how hard you all work will encourage us to work harder too”

 

* * *

 

 As it turned out, Michimiya was right. The girls’ volleyball team took practice pretty easy, often stopping to chat or joke. But the boys’ team was hungry for victory, and they always gave 100%, even in practice. Every spike, every dive, and every toss was intense, the boys always pushing themselves to the limits. Seeing this, the girls collectively stepped up their game. Sure, part of it was being inspired by the other team’s passion, but if they were being honest, they mostly didn’t want to embarrass themselves.

“Spiking practice!” Michimiya announced to her team. They were all panting and sweating, more tired out than at any other practice before, but none of them were going to admit that. Michimiya turned to their setter. “Aoki, could set for us?”

“No problem, captain!” the short haired girl replied, quickly taking her spot on the other side of the net. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “Michimiya, look out!”

Michimiya turned just in time to see a ball flying towards her. Instinctively, she dropped into a squat to receive it, but before she could get her forearms out in front the ball crashed into her thighs. It bounced forward and was caught perfectly by Daichi, who was running over.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. Near the back of the gym, Michimiya could hear Hinata apologizing loudly for a botched receive. She laughed a little at how anguished the poor first year felt.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The ball’s momentum was mostly dead anyways”

“Still, that was a nice receive” Daichi commented. Michimiya felt her heart stop. Did he just compliment her receive? Daichi was one of the best receivers on Karasuno’s volleyball team, and regardless of her crush on him, hearing him say that was enough to make her blush furiously.

“Yeah,” he continued, oblivious to the other captain’s flushed cheeks, “your thighs must be pretty sturdy to take a hit like that!”

And just like that, the colour drained away from Michimiya’s face. She forced a laugh and muttered something about needing to get back to practice. Daichi looked surprised, but returned to his side of the gym without further comment. The other girls, who had been previously watching the exchange with sly and knowing looks, all winced.

Sawamura was a good guy, they agreed, but he was still a guy, and that meant he really didn’t know what not to say to girls.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this chapter planned out for a while, but it needed a lot of research. There's just not a lot of info about the girls' volleyball team anywhere, and I had to go through every episode and chapter they appear in to write this. Not to mention, none of the players other than Michimiya are ever named in the series, which made things hard (some of the girls were given names in the guidebook, as can be found here: http://rheomochi.tumblr.com/post/131419878967/these-confused-fangirls-got-their-names-ujiie)
> 
> Anyways, I love the boys to death, but I really do want to see more from the girls' side! Especially that championship team Tanaka knows about, they look so cool~


	16. Nothing, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nishinoya:

“Nothing!”

Tanaka had to stifle a giggle at Noya’s enthusiastic response. The latter was posed dramatically with his hands on his hips, though the effect was a little ruined given he was only half-dressed. On the other side of the changing room, Ennoshita and Narita sighed and exchanged weary looks, both of them a little too used to Noya parading around in his boxers and undershirt. Kinoshita, though, raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Really?” the blond asked. “You’re not worried about anything at all?”

“Nothing comes to mind”

“C’mon,” prompted Tanaka, “there’s got to be something!”

Noya paused, and bit his lips. He closed his eyes, as though deep in thought, and let out a long hum. Finally:

“Nope!”

“Well, alright then” concluded Ennoshita, and the conversation ended.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there's more to it than that.


	17. Nothing, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit: I'm very sorry for the delay, I won't have chapter 18 up soon. My brother was taken to the hospital last night, and while it's nothing too serious, it did throw our lives out of whack. I'm writing Chapter 18 now, but between tiredness and stress, and needing to review and edit it, it probably won't be up until later this week. Thanks for understanding**

 

It was the usual Friday afternoon post-practice routine: get changed as quickly as they could, walk together to Tanaka’s house, and then stay up all night watching an eclectic mix of cheesy rom-coms and B-rated horror movies. As per usual, Noya was babbling on about the movie selection for the evening, shifting fluidly between describing the special effects in the Swamp Monster movie to whining about the dumb love triangle in Love Like Louvre. Tanaka, though, was oddly silent, until:

“Hey, did you really mean it?”

Noya paused mid-rant, and turned to face his friend. “Mean what?”

“What you said earlier. About not being worried about anything”

“Oh. Yeah.” A pause. “So, anyways, there’s this really cool scene where the monster crawls out—”

“But how?” Tanaka insisted. Noya let out a stream of air, blowing his bangs upwards.

“I dunno. I’m just not worried about anything”

The duo began walking again, silently this time. A moment passed.

“What about the history test next week?”

“I studied for it!” the libero replied excitedly, triumphantly pointing to his chest. “No way am I missing training camps or practice matches cause of one dumb quiz!”

“Well, what about our upcoming practice matches?”

This time Noya shrugged his shoulders, unconcerned. “I mean, they’ll be tough, sure, but we’ve practiced a lot. Whatever happens, happens, y’know?”

“What about growing taller?” It was a low-blow, Tanaka knew, but he asked anyways. As expected, Noya glared at him and gave a quick jab to the gut, causing Tanaka to “oof” in surprise. Despite his anger, Noya couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s reaction.

“Hey, asshole, I’m still growing! Besides, libero’s the one position where height doesn’t matter, so who cares how tall I am?”

Tanaka let out a groan of frustration, still rubbing his stomach where Noya had hit him. “C’mon, there must be something eating at you!”

Noya stopped walking again, suddenly very solemn. “You caught me, Ryuu, there is something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone”

Tanaka quieted down and nodded very slowly as Noya inched his face up to the wing spiker’s ear. He held his breath in anticipation. Whatever could bug the libero so much he’d keep it a secret from his best friend must be serious. In a low voice, Noya whispered:

“I’m worried about why you’re so hung up on this”

And with that, Noya kicked the back of Tanaka’s knees and pranced forward. “Now hurry up, before Saeko-nee-san eats all the snacks”

Tanaka stood there for a moment, miffed, but eventually shrugged and jogged to catch up to his small friend. Maybe Noya really was just that carefree.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated between continuing with Noya, or showing Ushijima's side (since his current concern is also "none"), but ultimately my love for my favorite brotp won out. That just mean Ushijima'll get his own chapter later on. 
> 
> I tried really hard to come up with an actual concern for Noya, but after scouring through the manga and anime I realized I wouldn't be able to make something up and pull it off successfully. So here we are.
> 
> Also, sorry it's a bit late! It was tech week last week and my show opened on Thursday, so I've been super busy


	18. Receives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shibayama: "Everyone is so good at receives and I don't feel like I am needed at all, but I'm gonna try my best to practice!"

 

For a team that thrived at keeping the ball in play, it’s no surprise that Nekoma dedicated a huge portion of their practices to receives. It was what Nekoma was known for, it was their specialty: and that meant everyone on the team needed to be able to move fluidly and gracefully, and receive each ball perfectly.

Some members were naturally gifted at this sort of thing. Their bodies twisted and stretched, leaping into action and saving balls that most teams would have missed. But as for others:

“Lev! What have I told you about over-extending your forearms! If the muscles are too tense, you won’t be able to control the ball!”

“Sorry Yaku-san!” the silver-haired boy bemoaned. Lev drooped in an exaggerated motion and collapsed on the ground, a pile of heavy limbs. “Receives are getting so boring! Can’t I practice spiking with Kenma some more?”

The unenthusiastic setter mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously rude, while Yaku sighed angrily. “No matter how well you spike, you won’t play if you can’t receive well! Now get up off your ass!”

On the other side of the gym, Kuroo and Kai chuckled at the exchange, obviously entertained by their kohai’s dramatics. Even Yamamoto laughed a bit, shouting out “No way you’ll be the ace if you lie around all practice!” At those words, Lev shot up off the ground, his tiredness forgotten with his goal at stake.

So maybe “graceful” hadn’t been the right word. When you got right to it, Nekoma’s volleyball team was kind of…dorky. But that’s what made them such a cohesive unit: they all liked each other, and that meant they all worked well with each other.

 _Really_ , thought Shibayama as he watched the entire exchange, _I’m so grateful to be on a team like this._ He stepped up for his turn to receive, his chest suddenly swelling with pride at being part of Nekoma. The ball flew towards him in a straight arc, but at the last minute it dipped slightly to the left. Reacting quickly, Shibayama stepped to the side to intercept it. The ball flew up and neatly landed about a meter or so from the net. A perfect receive.

Shibayama was about to let out a celebratory cheer when the coach interrupted his thoughts. “Nice receive” called out Naoi-san, but it sounded rehearsed and robotic. Like he didn’t really notice that it _was_ a nice receive, he was just going through the motions to get to the next person. The sound of a ball hitting skin on the other side of the gym caught Shibayama’s attention, and confirmed his thoughts: Kai had just pulled off an equally-impressive receive, and all Nekomata-san responded with was “Nice job”.

The first year felt his heart drop. Yeah, being on a team that was so close-knit was fun: but when that team was also the best in the prefecture at receives, how much did they really need a libero? After all, Shibayama’s position was supposed to excel in defense, but if his receives weren’t any better than the rest of his teams’, what was the point?

Just then, Shibayama felt a hand on his back. He turned around, and was surprised to come face-to-face with Yaku. “Is something wrong?” the third year asked, concern lining his face. Shibayama quickly forced a smile. “No no, not really! I was just thinking about how good everyone is at receives!”

Yaku stayed silent. He observed Shibayama closely for a few moments, and the younger libero was reminded of a cat focusing in on its target. Sometimes people said that Kenma’s gaze was unnerving, but Shibayama thought Yaku-san could be equally unsettling when he needed to be. Actually, if he was being honest, the whole team could be, but right now it was Yaku that was boring holes into his skull.

“Shibayama,” Yaku finally began, after what felt like an eternity but was probably no more than a few seconds, “I understand if you feel useless or something. After all, what good is a libero on a team like this?”

Shibayama felt his face flush. “I-I didn’t mean to imply that you, that you’re—”

“No, I get it. I used to think that too, back when I was a first year. So I want to share some advice with you that really helped me. With a team that’s known for its receives, you might feel like you need to overcompensate to be useful, like you need to do some amazing tricks or stunts just to get noticed. But that’s not our job. Shibayama, it’s OK if you’re not as flashy as the other guys: the best receivers are the ones that never really stand out.”

And with that, Yaku returned to his place (giving Lev a kick in the back and a shout of “Stop slacking off!” for good measure). Shibayama watched him, and for the first time noticed the quiet, confident air he carried with him. It wasn’t loud like Yamamoto's, or cocky like Kuroo’s. It was the kind of aura that might get overshadowed by the others. But it was dependable, a solid foundation that stood behind the front lines and guaranteed success.

Shibayama resolved to keep practicing as hard as he could, in hopes that he would one day be as cool as his senpai.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meow-wow.
> 
> I'll apologize for the hiatus, but I'm not gonna make any excuses. I knew my inspiration and motivation would ebb and flow, which is why I opted for a fanfiction made up of one-shots, rather than an overarching story. This way, when I do stop writing (whether for three months or forever), it's not like I'll be leaving this unfinished.
> 
> Anyways, who knows when I'll see you next! I do have ideas written out, it's just that actually taking the time to type a one-shot is getting more and more difficult. So whatever. Bye.


	19. The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikejiri: "Future plans and stuff..."

The spring air was pleasantly warm as the last bell rang and students from Tokonami High spilled out onto the streets. The ocean of teenagers split into various streams, as groups of friends headed to the train station, harried part-timers rushed to their jobs, and club-goers looped back around to the gyms. Ikejiri, for his part, also had somewhere to be: his History homework was begging to be done, and he knew if he didn’t study for tomorrow’s vocab test his English mark would suffer for it. Not to mention the supplementary Math work he should probably look at. 

But that was for when he got home. For now, Ikejiri was content to walk lazily down the street, his friend Tamagawa strolling by his side. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and both boys were happy to simply walk in silence and appreciate the good weather.

Colour up ahead caught Ikejiri’s eye, and he turned his head to see a poster hanging in a store window. He paused, reading the bright red font.

**Spring High Volleyball Tournament!  
Miyagi Prefecture!  
Come support local young athletes! **

_The Spring High Tournament, huh?_ mused Ikejiri. _I’d bet anything that Sawamura is playing in that right now._

There was no doubt about it. If Ikejiri knew anything about his old friend, it was how dedicated he was to the sport. It actually made him sort of envious: Sawamura didn’t seem to feel embarrassed about trying his hardest and always giving 100%; even when he failed, the other boy got right back up and kept working. It was something Ikejiri had admired three years ago, and something he had admired again just last fall.

“Yo, Ikejiri!” came Tamagawa’s voice from where he had stopped, a few paces ahead. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, nothing” reassured Ikejiri, as he started walking again to catch up. “I was just thinking about the Spring High Tournament, that’s all”

“Dude, the Spring High Tournament?” Tamagawa let out a bark of laughter. “Man, am I ever happy we’re not doing that! I mean, can you believe there are actually third years who do? All the extra practices would be way too much work on top of applying for universities and stuff.”

The freckled boy hummed thoughtfully in reply, still caught up in remembering his last encounter with Karasuno. Tamagawa, not noticing Ikejiri’s distant thoughts, ploughed on. “Speaking of, what are you doing after school ends? Do you know what universities you’re gonna apply for?”

Ikejiri hesitated. “Um, well, actually, I might not go to university…” he stuttered out.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t really know what I want to do right now, so it seems like a waste to apply, you know?”

Tamagawa mulled over this. “I guess that makes sense” he finally agreed. They continued walking in silence, each engrossed in their own thoughts, until Tamagawa broke it again.

“Well, do you have any ideas about what you want to do?”

Ikejiri thought about the question. He thought about the pressures of school (that homework was still calling his name), the uncertainty he felt whenever they filled out career path questionnaires, the weight of dread in his stomach before every mock exam. He thought about his team, three years ago, and his team, now. He thought about Sawamura, who always kept going, and who could inspire a couple of boys or an entire gym with just his passionate words. 

“I think,” Ikejiri said, looking up at the sky, “I want to keep playing volleyball”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No apologies! The good thing about oneshots is that there's no cliff-hangers, so I don't feel bad about extended hiatuses. But I hope frequent breaks doesn't stop you from enjoying this!


	20. Catching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata: He can't catch a ball one-handed

_Damnit Natsu damnit Natsu damnit Natsu_

Hinata peddled along the road furiously, legs pumping twice as fast as normal. His younger sister had been particularly insistent about playing that morning, and as a result the first year was running late.

Not late for practice, of course. No matter what issues arose in the morning, Hinata always left with plenty of time to spare. No, what he was late for this morning was…

“Oi, dumbass, I’ve been waiting for ten minutes! What took so long?”

…yup. Kageyama had gotten here first, and was now standing there, impatience etched on every detail of his body as he rolled a volleyball between his hands. It was frustrating to see his rival beat him in their morning race, but Hinata could shrug it off. After all, assuming he’d been keeping track correctly, he was still ahead by a few wins.

“Natsu wanted to play this morning, and you know I can’t say no to her!” Hinata sing-songed as he dismounted from his bike. “That’s the only reason you won this morning!”

“Tch. I got here first yesterday, too, and you know it!”

“Well I touched the door first, so that means I won!

Kageyama scowled, clearly frustrated with the dead-end this banter had reached. “Whatever,” he mumbled, and then tossed the ball lazily to Hinata, “Here, catch”

Hinata, however, hadn’t finished locking up his bike, but with a volleyball approaching him in a smooth arc, game instinct beat out common sense. He instantly let go of his bike and caught the ball with both hands. The bike, not immune to gravity, fell gracelessly to the ground, landing squarely on its owner’s feet.

“Ow!” Hinata yelped, dropping the ball with shock. It rolled back over to Kageyama, who was staring at the other first year with equal parts amusement and irritation. Hinata grumbled, not willing to shout his way down that particular path this morning, and picked his bike back up. Marching squarely past Kageyama and into the club room, he briefly hoped that the day wouldn’t continue on such a sour note.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, Hinata didn’t injure or embarrass himself in any of his classes, making his mood much brighter by the time afternoon practice rolled around. He had barrelled through the warm up with glee, and approached the first few drills with similar enthusiasm. Now, during a receiving drill, he was taking a much needed water break as the others went before him. 

“Ah, watch out!” came the timid cry of a certain pinch-server. Hinata turned to Yamaguchi and saw a ball flying towards him, presumably the result of a botched receive. Once again, instinct urged him to drop everything, but remembering the events of that morning and the water bottle he was currently holding, Hinata instead raised his right arm, prepared to catch the ball one-handed. 

Of course, preparation can only do so much, and the moment the ball made contact with his palm, Hinata realized _I don’t know how to do this._

And then everything went to shit. Hinata, flailing to keep the ball secure, dropped his water bottle on the ground with a resounding SPLASH! His balance now compromised, he fumbled for a few more seconds before losing control of the ball and landing in the puddle his late-bottle had created. And like the cherry on top of a sundae of disasters, the volleyball he had abandoned mid-fall landed daintily on his head.

“Ah, I’m so sorry Hinata!” Yamaguchi blubbered as he ran over to his fallen friend. “I messed up the receive, and now! Oh, you’re soaking wet! Do you want me to help clean this up?”

“It’s fine Yamaguchi!” Hinata assured the other boy, rubbing his head where the ball had made contact. “I’m just gonna go to the bathroom to dry off. Maybe you could mop up the puddle?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah, of course!”

As Yamaguchi hurried off to fetch a mop from the supply closet, Hinata made his way towards the washroom, lamenting internally.

_If only I could catch a ball with one hand! Then none of this would have happened!_

“Gah!” he yelled, stepping into the empty hallway. “I can’t let something like this stop me! What kind of ace can’t catch a ball? Besides, Kageyama and Tsukishima are probably laughing at me right now!” The mental image of his two teammates snickering behind their hands only fuelled Hinata’s motivation. “That’s it! I’m gonna show them! I’ll learn to catch a ball with one hand, no problem!”

 

* * *

  

It took close to a week, but Hinata was no stranger to hard work. Once he had a goal, he would stop at nothing to achieve it, and this hurdle was no different. Similar to his time back in middle-school after that first tournament, he devoted all his time to handling a volleyball: passing it between his hands as he walked through the halls; tossing it to himself in his backyard; enlisting his friends from class to throw it to him from different angles. Any chance he could, he was practicing. 

And it had finally paid off. Morning practice, nearly a week after that embarrassing day, Hinata felt confident enough about his catching abilities to show them off to his teammates. Buzzing with excitement, the orange-haired boy imagined all their stunned faces as he gracefully nabbed a ball midair with one hand. _Kageyama and Tsukishima especially,_ he thought _are gonna be sooo impressed. They’ll be all like “bluh!” and “huh!”_

Now all he had to do was wait for a chance to show off his new skill, and with luck on his side today, he didn’t need to wait long. 

_There! A ball flying through the air! Perfect!_

Tongue gripped tightly between his teeth, Hinata ran forwards, arms splayed behind him like he was approaching a quick. Instead, though, he jumped upwards and extended his right arm fully, making contact with the volleyball and cupping it tightly in his palm. He landed perfectly, feet shoulder-width apart and ball held triumphantly over his head, still clutched in one hand.

“Haha, yes! Didja see that? I totally went all ‘blam’ and ‘hyeah’ and caught it with one hand!”

The rest of Karasuno looked at the first year with a variety of expressions. Noya’s face was awed, as to be expected from the encouraging libero. Daichi and Coach Ukai wore similar expressions of disbelief, and Suga looked very amused. Meanwhile, Kageyama was…angry? And why was Tsukishima smirking like that?

“Uhm, great job Hinata!” Sugawara praised, clearly trying to keep his laughter in check. “It’s obvious you put a lot of effort into learning how to catch like that! But, um—”

“We’re in the middle of spiking practice, dumbass”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about my second-favorite crow and precious sunshine boy. But! That's how things go!
> 
> (also it's been so long since I wrote dialogue for this, I apologize if anyone sounds ooc. Hinata especially: I liked his minor appearances in other chapters I wrote, but for some reason writing from his POV was haaaard)


	21. Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goshiki: Wants to be able to hit a sharper cross
> 
> Ushijima: None

100 serves.

_It’s my fault._ Thwap. _I should have played better._ Thwap. _I’m no ace. I’m nothing. I’m just a cocky first year who’s all talk and no skill._ Thwap. Thwap. Thwap.

The bus ride back to Shiratorizawa had been quiet, save for the occasional sniffle. Everyone had wiped their tears away for the award ceremony, but it’s hard to stay stony-faced when it’s just you and your teammates. And then Ushijima had given that speech, and really who could fault Goshiki for getting emotional? In that moment, with his senpai patting his back and his captain’s words in his head, he had felt _good._

But then there was the 100 serves. And as each one left his palm stinging and red, he thought more and more about the game, and all his mistakes, and all that he _could have, should have_ done, until he was miserable.

_Ushijima said he was counting on me._ Thwap. _But how am I supposed to follow him?_ Thwap. _My blocking is weak, not to mention my receives, and even my spikes kept getting stopped._ Thwap. _I’ll never be as good as him. I’ll never be the ace he was. I—_

“Goshiki~ Don’t you think you’ve probably passed a hundred at this point?” 

The first year blinked and noticed Tendou standing nearby, arms behind his head and body slouched in a relaxed position. Dimly, he became aware of the other players putting the balls away and packing their things, and of the numbness emanating from his right hand. Oh.

“Uh, yes, but I thought I—I would practice some more! I should really be improving my crosses”

The redhead raised a jaunty eyebrow. “Oh? How very cool of you, Goshiki-kun! Truly, behaviour worthy of the future Shiratorizawa ace!” 

Goshiki felt familiar bile rise in his throat. “Mhm!” he nodded, a bit frantically, not trusting himself to speak. The third year shrugged into his jacket and followed the rest of the team out of the gymnasium, leaving Goshiki alone. The moment the heavy doors swung closed, his anxiety bubbled to the surface, tears springing up in his eyes.

_“Future ace”? I’m not the future anything!_ He thought angrily, choking back a sob as he clutched a volleyball close to his chest. _I’m a weak player. I’ll never be good enough for this team, or this school, or for—_

“Ushijima!” 

The first year squeaked when he noticed the captain, who had just emerged from the locker rooms. Quickly, he dropped the volleyaball and furiously rubbed at his eyes, determined not to let the other boy see his tears. Ushijima, for his part, remained unreadable, but approached Goshiki slowly.

“Is something wrong, Goshiki?”

“N-no, I—um—I’m fine!”

“But you’re crying" the third year pointed out, matter-of-factly.

“Well, yes, but—”

“Goshiki,” Ushijima said solemnly, “I am not very good at helping people. But if you are upset, I will do my best to be of aid”

The words weren’t especially empathetic, but apparently that was all it took, because moments later Goshiki felt like a floodgate had been opened.

“I shouldn’t be here!” he hiccuped, tears welling up again. “I don’t understand why I’m here! I can’t be the ace, I’m not good enough! I was so cocky, thinking I could rival you, but I made so mistakes during the game. I don’t deserve to be on the team”

Ushijima shifted slightly. “I don’t think I understand your problem. Why shouldn’t you be playing with Shiratorizawa?”

Goshiki sniffled, confused. “Because I’m not good enough?”

“But you’re very good. Shiratorizawa only has strong players”

The first year was stunned into silence by the simple statement.

“Also,” Ushijima continued, “you are a starting player, even though you’re a first year. You will only continue to improve as you get older. By the time you’re a third year, you will be one of the strongest players on the team.” He picked up the volleyball that Goshiki had dropped and handed it back to the other boy. “So I don’t understand why you were upset”

Goshiki twirled the ball in his hands. Of course Ushijima would give him a straightforward answer. When he put it like that, it seems obvious that Goshiki was feeling anxious for no reason. The first year smiled ruefully. “You’re right, Ushijima-san. Thank you”

For a moment, they both just stood there facing each other. Then, Goshiki ventured hesitantly, “Ushijima-san? Have you ever felt overwhelmed when playing volleyball?”

“No” came the immediate reply, curt but not impolite.

“How come?”

“Because there is nothing to worry about. I know I am strong. And my team is strong. We will win games because of that. And if we lose, it will only encourage us to get stronger”

“Oh”

For some, the blunt statement might have sounded overconfident, but Goshiki knew better than to mistake honesty for cockiness. Coming from Ushijima, it wasn’t boasting: it was simply the truth. And when someone like that, someone who wastes no time with false pleasantries and white lies to soothe feelings, tells you they’re counting on you, well…

“Do you feel better, Goshiki?” the captain asked.

“Yes. Thank you again, Ushijima-san” the future-ace smiled.

…you have every reason to believe they’re right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~shhh what do you mean i'm projecting my anxiety onto goshiki~~


	22. Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamagata: He keeps losing his phone

**(1)**

 

“Shit, shit, where is it?”

Yamagata frantically swept his hands through his bed, feeling out the covers for any inconsistencies. He turned over his pillows, flipped his sheets, and even ran his hand along under the mattress. Nothing.

“Argh! I’m gonna be late if I look any longer! Fuck it, it’s probably in my schoolbag or something”

With the assurance of that small possibility, Yamagata grabbed the aforementioned backpack and swung it over his shoulders, running out of his bedroom. At this rate, he’d have to really book it if he wanted to catch his train to school.

 

* * *

 

**(3)**

 

“Try calling it again!”

A few people glanced at Yamagata in the hallway, slightly bemused, and with some reason: the third year must have looked fairly silly. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his bag to feel any vibrations, and his ear shoved into the main pocket to hear the ringtone. His friend stood beside him, his slight discomfort marked by the shifting of his feet. He might have been more uncomfortable with the scene, but this was the third time this month Yamagata had asked for this particular favour, so he was getting used to it.

“Uh, ok, it’s ringing" 

A silence fell over the two teenagers, one holding a backpack to his chest and straining his ear against it, the other standing a safe two or three feet away, as if to distance himself socially from the spectacle. One beat, two beats, then…

“Nope, I don’t think it’s in here”

“Do you want me to try calling again, just in case, or..?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. It’ll probably turn up somewhere, no big deal”

The bell rung to indicate the start of classes, and Yamagato flashed his friend a grateful smile goodbye before turning into his own classroom. Yeah, it would definitely turn up soon. Right?

 

* * *

 

**(7)**

 

“What do mean, you lost it again?”

Semi’s voice was tinged with annoyance, though to be fair it usually sounded like that. The rest of the Shiratorizawa volleyball team looked on as he regarded Yamagata with a disapproving stare, the latter sputtering indignantly.

“I didn’t _lose_ it, I just…misplaced it! Look, I probably left it in one the lockers here after practice yesterday, ok? Just give me some help”

“You want us to call it for you, and see if it rings” Ushijima surmised plainly. The libero nodded enthusiastically in return.

“Yeah! And like, we can all listen into different lockers, see if we can hear it”

The volleyball team seemed to collectively sigh, and then fanned out methodically so that each member was covering a different section of the locker room. After all, this was not the first time helping Yamagata out.

“Oh, oh, I wanna call it first~” came the sing-song voice of Tendou. He hummed energetically as he dialled the numbers, the others all pressing their ears against the lockers.

_Bzzz. Bzzz._

“Ah, I think I hear it!” Yamagata yelled triumphantly. He whipped his head towards the source of the vibration and saw Kawanishi reach into his own pocket, face deadpan.

“Tendou” the second-year answered, and the redhead’s loud laughter could be heard twofold, both coming from the middle-blocker himself, and from the dingy speaker in Kawanishi’s hand. Yamagata just closed his eyes, suddenly tired of the whole affair.

“Maybe we should try again after practice?” he suggested, although it was hard to hear him over the sound of Tendou still giggling uncontrollably at his own joke.

 

* * *

 

**(12)**

 

“Oh, there you are sweetie! I was just calling you!”

Letting the front door shut behind him, Yamagata toed out of his shoes and walked into the kitchen, where his mom was stirring something over the stovetop.

“Sorry, sorry, practice ran a little bit late today. Were you worried?”

“I was about to be, since it just went straight to voicemail, but then you walked in the door. No, I just wasn’t sure if you were coming back for dinner or not. Thankfully, I still made plenty!”

Yamagata hugged his mother from behind, taking the opportunity to sniff the contents of the pot.

“Mmm, it smells good”

“Well, it won’t be ready for another ten minutes, so why don’t you have a shower first? I will not have a sweaty teenager eating at my table!”

Yamagata laughed in response and hurried upstairs, eager to wash off the sweat from a particularly grueling practice.

 

* * *

 

In his bedroom, Yamagata dried himself off and slipped into clean(er) clothes. He was just about to leave when he noticed it, sitting innocently on his desk like it hadn’t been the bane of his day. The screen was dark, and the charger cable hung uselessly unplugged from the wall. Yamagata sighed with annoyance and plugged the cord back in, waiting expectantly as the screen flashed back to life. He held down the “on” switched and watched the usual start-up sequence play. And then his phone buzzed with notifications.

 

**(16) missed calls.**

 

“Fuuuuck”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like Shiratorizawa, because here's more Shiratorizawa! I'll be honest, I did not think I would be able to think of something for Yamagato, but then this idea flung itself at me in the middle of the night and I realized I had to write it
> 
> Consider this a late birthday present for Yamagata! At least I'm still in the right month!
> 
> Also it's really hard not saying "phone" when an entire ficlet revolves around a dude losing his phone


End file.
